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Ng Wai-hon, who joined the force as an inspector in 1996, had been involved in high-profile cases. Photo: Nora Tam

Senior Hong Kong policeman jailed for 28 months for pocketing HK$570,000 in bribes

Judge slams Superintendent Ng Wai-hon, 54, for neglecting his role as law enforcer

A Hong Kong police superintendent who admitted to pocketing HK$570,000 (US$72,700) in bribes was sentenced to 28 months in jail, as the judge slammed the senior officer for neglecting his role as a law enforcer.

Two co-defendants, who operated nightclubs in Wan Chai, were sentenced to 20 and 12 months in jail respectively.

Superintendent Ng Wai-hon, 54, kept his head down during most of the court session on Thursday.

The senior officer and nightclub boss Luen Kei-cheung, 47, earlier pleaded guilty to a joint charge of conspiracy for a public servant to accept advantages, in violation of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance and the Crimes Ordinance.

Luen is the boss of two nightclubs, MB Club Mont Busa (MBC) and Golden.

Senior policeman and nightclub bosses plead guilty in HK$570,000 corruption case

A third defendant, Tse Hon-kin, 38, pleaded guilty to a charge of aiding and abetting another person to offer an advantage to a public servant. Tse was the operator at the nightclubs.

The court earlier heard that Ng had met one or both co-defendants on 11 occasions and visited MBC twice between March 31, 2016 and January 24, 2017. It also heard Ng had leaked classified information about police inspection schedules to the two for monetary bribes.

Before handing down the sentences, Deputy District Judge Li Chi-ho mentioned eight past cases, some of which involved police officers taking bribes.

He noted that the sum involved in Ng’s case was relatively high, and that the duration of the other defendants’ sentences was more than a year. Considering the seriousness of the case, Li said, jail was the “only option”.

Nightclub boss Luen Kei-cheung was sentenced to 20 months in jail. Photo: Nora Tam

The judge noted that Ng’s guilt was the greatest among the three defendants. For monetary gains, he had neglected his role as a law enforcer as well as the public’s expectations, Li said.

In addition to his 28-month jail sentence, the policeman was told to return the remaining HK$219,000 in bribe money before 4pm on Thursday.

Li said Luen had benefited from the nightclub business and shared a similar responsibility in the case. The nightclub boss was sentenced to 20 months in jail.

The judge noted that Tse had the least involvement in the case and sentenced him to 12 months in prison.

The jail terms had been reduced by a third on the grounds that the defendants had pleaded guilty.

Nightclub operator Tse Hoi-kin received the lightest sentence among the three. Photo: Nora Tam

Hong Kong’s anti-graft watchdog, the Independent Commission Against Corruption, had launched charges against the trio last October.

In an earlier press release, the ICAC said Ng had also accepted “free sexual services”.

Ng, who joined the force as an inspector in 1996, had been involved in high-profile cases, such as the investigation into police constable Tsui Po-ko, who was implicated in a series of crimes.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Senior policeman gets 28 months for accepting bribes
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